The cost of healthcare has been a challenging issue in the United States, with nearly one of every five dollars' worth of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) going to medical expenditures. In an effort to control the cost of healthcare, medical devices and communication technology have been used in combination to monitor chronic diseases and symptoms that could develop into serious conditions.
Various types of patient monitoring systems have been disclosed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,448,996 discloses a patient monitoring system for chronic diseases. U.S. Pat. No. 8,217,795 discloses a system for fall detection and alert. U.S. Pat. No. 7,453,364 discloses a safety device system comprising a wearable alarm device to measure physiological signals and a receiver capable of advising the user to wear the alarm device. U.S. Pat. No. 8,328,718 discloses a wearable appliance monitoring cardiac abnormalities in communication with the one or more wireless nodes.
There are always a need for a device and system with capacity of seamless and non-intrusive monitoring meaningful physiological data, enabling critical situation alert and providing pro-active and preventive healthcare.